Monday, January 14, 2019

Hallelujah! I'm finally writing a Japanese drama review about the two dramas that I watched during the second half of 2018. I actually thoroughly enjoyed these two summer shows; it just took me so long to finish them because I was either in a funk or setting them aside for other things. But I made it! I've already got a list of dramas from the Autumn 2018 broadcast season that I want to start, and I'm sure I'll have even more shows to look forward to once I find a comprehensive rundown of upcoming Winter 2019 dramas. But for now, Summer 2018 is where I'm at. Both of today's selections were watched with Japanese subtitles, on MapleStage and Love TV Show respectively. Let's get started!

高嶺の花 (Takane no Hana/Born to Be a Flower/An Unreachable Flower) - NTV/2018

Tsukishima Momo (Ishihara Satomi, 'Jimi ni Sugoi~Kouetsu Girl Kouno Etsuko') is the potential heir to a wealthy family that has been active in the traditional art of flower arranging (ikebana) for generations. She got dumped on her wedding day but is still not over her ex.

Momo gets in an accident after stalking her ex, and takes her mangled bicycle to the bike shop of a regular but intelligent dude named Kazama (a.k.a. Puu-san).

Momo is intrigued by Puu-san and his friends, and starts dating him, hiding her prestigious identity from all of them at first. Puu-san is most definitely the rebound guy, and he knows it, but he falls for her anyway. She falls for him too, eventually.

Momo's father prepares to choose the next head of the Tsukishima family and business, and it's between Momo and her little sister. Little sis is being manipulated by both her mother and her boyfriend who each want to take over Tsukishima for themselves. Who will prevail?

At the same time, Momo learns the truth about her breakup and might have a chance to get back together with her ex. Does she want that old thang back more than she loves Puu-san?

When I heard about this drama I didn't need much convincing. Ishihara Satomi? Ikebana? Intrigue? Rock n' Roll? Count me in! Momo is well-groomed while Puu-san is moreself-taught, but they're able to have these randomly deep, intellectual conversations about the meaning of art and artistry. And then at some point these conversations hilariously collapse into typical couple's tiffs about nothing. This happens quite a few times in different episodes, and I found that to be such a smart way of fleshing out the tone of their relationship. Scenes like these show how Puu-san, while not an artist, greatly understands art and can understand the duties and pressures Momo faces as the potential heir of a longstanding family of traditional artists. These scenes also show that he's not just the rebound; Momo cares for him and what he has to say. Their relationship is real, even if it's not a huge priority for her.

Momo does treat Puu-san unfairly on a number of occasions. But as part of the audience... I kind of get it? I think the show does an excellent job demonstrating a number of complicated dynamics, namely that of a victim of betrayal turning around and inflicting the same hurt on someone else, and the burden and sacrifice that are required for an artist to be successful. In order for Momo exercise her passion for flower arranging AND maintain her family legacy, everyone and everything else must come second to the art. I think part of the reason why their relationship works, despite Momo's selfishness and indecisiveness, is that Momo's not intentionally cruel and Puu-san is not completely naive. They may seem like an odd mismatch but when things are good between them, they are overwhelmingly lovely to watch.

I had two main issues with this show. I would've loved for Momo to see a therapist. She's obviously dealing with some sort of disorder, since she loses her sense of taste for a long time after getting dumped, and she even has a couple of panic attacks during other parts of the show. But I guess we're to understand that once she fully reckons with her identity and her place in life, then those mental issues just go away? Nah, fam. And there's also this random perpetually angry delinquent kid whom Puu-san mentors, who likes to draw and eventually travels around Japan on a bike that he stole from Puu-san. He only serves as the butt of some fat jokes and infrequent comic relief, and I honestly think his character is wholly unnecessary.

ダブル・ファンタジー (Daburu Fantajii/Double Fantasy) - WOWOW/2018

Natsu is a sucessful screenwriter whose husband used to direct TV productions but gave that up to do farmwork and housekeeping at their home in the 'burbs. Natsu no longer respects him as an artist nor is satisfied with him as a husband.

Natsu reconnects with a former fling, a much older and more established theatre director who pursued her when she was a newbie writer in the industry. They begin an affair and dude is immediately possessive of her.

Natsu leaves her husband and moves into her own place back in Tokyo. Meanwhile she also reconnects with a former classmate Ryosuke, who's now a journalist. He's married and has a child. Natsu begins an affair with him as well.

Theatre director dude goes cold on Natsu, her husband and mother tag team to try and guilt her into returning to her husband, her relationship with Ryosuke gets more complicated, and Natsu's writing is starting to suffer. How will she handle this?

Just like in 'Ghostwriter', Mizukawa Asami is once again playing a writer. Like 'Hirugao' and even more similarly to past WOWOW cable drama 'Kenja no Ai', this show only has 5 episodes and focuses heavily on women's sexuality. So in a way 'Double Fantasy' felt familiar to me. The show actually became even more interesting when I realized that Natsu never had a rebellious phase due to her domineering mother, and her sexual escapades and newfound independence are in part making up for lost time. She never had a chance to confront her past trauma and for a while exercises her freedom through the relationships with the men in her life. Not going to spoil how the show ends, but Natsu does come to a handful of personal conclusions. The phrase "I don't need no man" comes to mind...

Again, I found both of these dramas to be incredibly enjoyable woman-centered shows. My fave this time around has be 'Takane no Hana', though. It's so well written, Ishihara Satomi is captivating in it, I've never seen more flower arrangements in my life, it's not just a love story but also a relatively deep look at an artist's internal crisis, and the cinematography and sound design evoke summertime in Japan so well that it makes my heart hurt. But please, definitely watch 'Double Fantasy' as well!